12-23-17 Grandparents

Growing up, our closest grandparents were a six hour drive away, and while we travelled often to see them, we were never very close. They came from a generation where children were seen and not heard, so it was understood early on we shouldn’t expect a lot of affection from them. I never resented it, it’s just how it was.

Maybe because it was lacking in my early life, I strive very hard to create opportunities for my children to enjoy both sets of grandparents. Even if they see them every day, I try to make sure they understand how special that is. And now that we are living with Tim’s parents we still greet them with the same excitement and joy as when we didn’t see them all that often. The kids make sure to run upstairs each evening and say goodnight before bed and they ask for them from the moment they wake up.

This afternoon we took the grandparents to see the trains and the kids enjoyed showing their grandparents what all the buttons did, they pointed out their favorite trains, and showed them all the best things to see. I loved watching all the interaction. The grandparents did great engaging the kids with questions and pointing out things they hadn’t seen. They all really seemed to enjoy each other! These are the memories I want them to have! 🙂